Rare plants discovered in SW China

BEIJING - A group of Cycas diannanensis, an endangered plant species, has been spotted in Southwest China's Yunnan province, according to the Kunming Institute of Botany under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Scientists of the institute conducted two investigations in valleys between 620 meters and 720 meters above sea level and found more than 200 such plants scattered at six sites. The plants are under first-class state protection in China.

The researchers said the species was threatened by human activities.

The research team did not find a flowering plant, which means whether the species can reproduce remains unknown, said Guo Jianwei, one of the researchers, calling for more protection measures.